CLAUSEN LIVES HIS MISSIONARY DREAM OF TEN YEARS OF AGE

The Conrad Clausen family spent a sum of 13 years at the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton (U.E.A.B), as missionaries. (For Dr. Tabaranza, who is too a missionary returning to his native country the Philippines after a service of 7 years as a dentist and his wife as a Music lecture – his end quarter sermon was spiced with anecdotes of going home: “we are going home,” he said, “please allow us to go home,” he concluded.)

Prof. Clausen is a man who is living his dream of 10 years of age. By this time he was a voracious reader laced with parents who were missionaries in China from 1947 to 1949. They winded down their services when communism sized the reign of leadership. Among the biographies he treasured was that of Dr. David Livingstone’s missionary work in East Africa. Thus, as a Missionary Volunteer (MV) member, when they were asked to chose places they would like to serve, Africa became his obvious choice notwithstanding that that was, 55 years ago, and he was a grade three pupil.

“My experience in China as a young boy made me to love missionary work,” he remembers with nostalgia. Clausen grew up interested in discovery, adventure, and a heart for foreign lands.

To him challenges, that a company his calling makes life an odyssey. “It’s very interesting to move to, and live in new cultures, seeing challenges interwoven with your goals,” he insight fully says.

His epic-tender-years in China were in 1975 sealed with a “till death do us part” covenant, when he met with his “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” Venus Ee-Sipipor whose grandparents were immigrants from China in the early part of the 20th century to Thailand.

They met while undertaking their studies at Loma Linda University.

Clausen’s parents’zeal for missionary work percolated to the hearts of their children. His brother, a professor in Nuclear Physics and his wife were one time students missionary in Zimbabwe and Zambia respectively. Another brother who's a mathematics graduate from Union College, is serving his Alma mater in the computer center department. While his sister his retired dietetics.

His first missionary assignment was in the Adventist College of West Africa as Biology don from Loma Linda University, from October 1974 to January 1975. This embedded in him an enthusiasm to serve at U.E.A.B from 1989 to1995 and 2001 to2008.

In U.E.A.B the Clausens have been overseeing the Virchel and Esther revolving fund benefiting needy and worthy students at the biology department. “This spirit of Virchel and Esther needs to be embraced to assist students in other departments who are struggling to achieve higher education regardless of their background,” he hopes.

“We are going to miss the Clausen dearly – they are like our parents in the biology department,” says Wesley biology major. Vincent Orucho a teacher cum graduate student at Kenyatta University acknowledges that he learned the meaning of keeping time as biology laboratory assistance from Prof. Clausen, “this is a very useful tool in meeting my daily aspirations as a teacher and research student,” he says.

The U.E.A.B Vice Chancellor, Dr. Nathaniel Walemba termed their services to University as outstanding and will remain etched in the success of hearts of those who have gone through their professional hands. The VC was reminiscent that Prof. Clausen was ready in and out of season whenever his help was needed.

Prof. Clausen admits that Africa today is very different from that of Dr. Livingstone: “people were not educated and had scanty information of the larger world (they were isolated). Presently students at U.E.A B are very westernized (maybe from what they watch and read). Although many in the village maintain their traditional lifestyles,” he observes. Nonetheless, he acknowledges that the students are polite and respect age.

He asserts that missionaries are not just ministers of the gospel rather professionals from divergent fields who have responded: “Here am I Lord. Send me!” He encourages the church to prepare its people in all professionals to send them into the world to meet their match of evangelism in a natural (friendly) manner.

“As teachers we try to integrate faith and learning. Harmonizing education, which seems to be secular, with the reality that God is the source of true knowledge. Indeed there are some scientific theories which students have learned at other levels of education which do not agree with the Bible. But we try to reconcile such controversies amicably,” he articulates.

For him as a Scientist “scientific laws give us a concept that we can fathom God’s creation, yes, not fully, but as a second hand book from God in tandem with the scriptures.” This philosophy is spearheaded by among others Dr. Ariel Roth – a prolific writer cum researcher on the link between science and the scriptures, who was his PhD supervisor at Loma Linda University at his twenties.

Clausen, like his mentor, Dr. Livingstone aspired to be a medical missionary, thus he took biology at undergraduate level as a bridge to medicine. Indeed he was admitted for medicinal school in Loma Linda University in 1966 but by that time he was not very sure whether he wanted to pursue the course coupled with the financial constrain to pay for the cause; thus he decided to proceed with his doctorate in biology since financial assistance was granted for the same.

Clausen his having a vision on the metamorphosis of the traditional missionary mission a cross the world. Theirs, was to meet the needs which the nationals were deficient from, but this was to be overtaken with time, hence a call to redefine the ministry in the near future. “But we need to keep in mind the concept of international cooperation. I believe that diversity should be kept a live in our institution of learning amongst the students and teachers to tap the richness bestowed in different cultures and races.”

He is concerned that U.E..A.B need to perpetuate the delicacy of being an international university in resonance with its sister institution of higher learning around the globe.. This will foster understanding and appreciation of other people and religions – planting seeds of trust which has become elusive world wide.

The Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) pioneer institutions of learning, like Andrews University, Loma Linda University… have maintained their out look for the best brains from “every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people” among its church members. This should be sustained in all institution of learning without compromising spirituality.

From the ratio between SDA church members and the world population of 1 to 40, is an alarm for us to raise and proclaim the good news. Reaching out to other religions and some regions calls for new tact of evangelism. Like in business building trust and friendship is the key: Clausen envisages.

He is sagacious that parents should nurture reading culture in their children and provide books for the same. Biographies of great people, travel journals, mission magazines… need to take there rightful place and time in our homes. “Reading is very important,” he says, “it expands the mind – as we can not be able to experience everything in the world by ourselves. Young people will be able to experience how different people think and live, work and act,” he explains.

The destiny of a child is molded at a tender age: zero to twelve. It’s the responsibility of parents to read books (example the Bible and Bible stories) to children at a tender age.

When the Assistant chaplain of U.E.AB English Church, Pr. Kesisi asked the out going couples what they will miss while in there new calling, during a goodbye interview, they resonated in: “the beautiful environment, pleasant weather, and friendly people..”